Automobile-lock.



J. BRUEHNE.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLICATION men OCT. n, 1915.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

JOHN BRUEHNE, 01? DENVER, COLORADO.

AUTOMOBILE-LOCK.

Application filed October 11, 1915. Serial No. 55,170.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BRUEHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Locks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements i lever locking devices, and while it may obviously be employed in other relations, it is particularly applicable as a positive locking means for thecontrol levers of automobiles, especially of the central control type, or types having a similar arrangement of levers.

City ordinances, in large communities, now quite generally prohibit the positive locking of machines against instant removal in cases of emergency, and this is more forcibly true in the crowded, down-town fire districts. As a result, machines are left standing carelessly unprotected against theft, which frequently occur even during the busiest hours of the day or night, outside of theaters, etc., and to partially overcome this evil, locks have been provided for the transmission control lever, to maintain the transmission out of gear, but prior to my invention the importance. of a cooperating brake lever lock, has not been considered essential or desirable, and in fact has been so stated in prior patents.

It is true that a degree of safety is afforded by a transmission lock alone, but in sparsely settled residence sections, such as outlying suburbs, or on outing trips to the country or elsewhere, where the fire v and police ordinances do not prevail, if a machine is left standing unattended for any length of time, or oyernight, such locksare manifestly highly mefiicient, as machines,

have frequently been towed away, or caused to run away from high winds, initial displacement on steep hills, or from other causes. I

The primary object of my invention, therefore, is to overcome these objections effectively, in a simple aiid com' 'mratively in-A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

essarily limited, form of the same will now be described more in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate the same parts in the several news, and in Which Figure 1, is a top plan view of the applied device, the levers appearing 1n cross section,

and the parts being shown in conjoint lockedrelation in full lines. The unlocked arrangement of the brake lever is shown, .in

dotted lines, at the right hand side of the view, and the shackle folded back out of the way, at the left hand side. Fig. 2, is a top plan detail view of the detached device, a portion of the locking arms being shown 1n section, and Fig. 3,-is a view in side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 3, in Fig. 1.

5 designates a base plate, secured to a portion of the automobile base or floor by any suitable means illustrated simply by screws 6. This plate has an elongated slot 8, alining with a similar slot in the car body, to permit of the operation of the brake lever 9, a suitable aperture being also provided to permit the transmission control lever 7 to be disposed in operative relation with the transmission mechanism in the usual way, but the contour of this aperture is dependent upon the type of car, and whether the transmission lever has a varying back and forth and sidewise oscillatory movement, as when a universal bearing is employed, or has a straight linear motion, in which latter instance the aperture would necessarily be an elongated slot.

The improved shackle itself may be generally designated by the numeral 10, and

drawings, the base plate 5 is shown as plete description,

mounted on the top of the transmission case 38, projecting slightlyiabove the floor, so that a space is provided for receiving the shackle neatly and compactly, when folded back out of operative association with the lovers, in a substantially flush position with reference to the floor plane. I

As previously stated, the member 12 is provided with open faced pockets, and while the exact formation is not essential, these open faced pockets may be formed by suitable narrow spaced extensions projecting from therear of a central enlarged portion 21 and forwardly disposed as shown, one of which extensions may be apertnre'il, as at 30, providing a locking eye 27 hereinafter referred to. To the other extension one of the shackle arms 24, of the closing means 13, may be pivoted, as at 20, the said shackle arm being-apertured, as at 28, to encompass a locking staple 22, mounted on the forward face of the enlarged portion 21. A second shackle arm," "of the closing means, is designated at 25, and is apertured, as at 28, to encompass the eye" 27 in locking relation.

By way of illustration, in the drawings the shackle arms 24: and 25 are shown hingedly connected, forming a pivotal joint or articulated connection substantially intermediate of the open faced slots, but in the broadest sense of the invention, the actual shackling means might be varied within wide limits without vitiating the essential features of the device, including means functioning to accomplish the two-fold re sult of shackling one of the levers independently of or conjointly with the other lever as desired.

29 simply designates suitable securing means, such as a padlock, the shackle orbow of which is adapted to engage the locking staple 22, or the locking eye 2?, dependent upon whether one or both levers are to be locked.

In practice, it may be desirable to so con struct the member 12 as shown, in order that the part 21 may extend between the levers, but this obviously may be varied, especially where there is insufficient space between the levers.

From the drawings and foregoing comthe operation Wlll be clear, yet it may be briefly stated that, when the shackle is in its folded-back position, shown eoaeve in dotted lines at the left of 1, it may at will be swung forwardly, through its pivotal connection 15, into operative position, with both shackle arms open. To lock the transmission lever 'i, leaving the brake lever 9 free to be operated, the lever 7 having been moved to its bit-position is disposed in its complementary open-faced pocket, whereupon" the shackle arm 24 is swung to its closed position, and the padlock applied to the staple 22, the open position of the shackle arm 25 being indicated in dotted lines at the right of Fig. 1. If, however, the brake lever 9 is also to be locked, it is positioned in its complementary openfaced pocket, in brake applied position, when the arm 25 is mov' to close the pocket, the slot 28 encompassing the locking eye 27, and the padlock 29 is applied to this eye, as shown in full lines, instead of to the staple However, the invention is not necessarily restricted to the detailed arrangement illustrated, excepting as limited by the scope of the claims, for it is manifest that a fair range of equivalent elements may be employed without departing from the generic idea, which consists chiefly in providing suitable means for shackling one lever (the transmission control lever) independently of and also conjointly with a second lever (the brake lever) as desired, but having fully disclosed the nature of the invention and its mode of operation, the particular features of novelty will now be more succinctly stated.

lVhat I claim, is

1. In a locking device substantially as described, a suitably secured shackle, comprising a base member in proximate relation. to and extending transversely across the levers. to be locked, shackling means cooperating with said base member to encompass said levers in looking relation, and means .for positively locking said shackling means in relative positions to secure one of said levers against movement independently of the other or conjointly therewith as desired.

2. In a locking device substantially for the purpose described, a shackle, comprising a base member in proximate location to and ed to receive the levers to be locked, shackling means cooperating with the recessed face of said base memberto encompass said levers in such relation as to hold, one of said operating between said base member and theopen faces of said pockets to close the open face of one pocket independently of the other pocket, and also the open face of the other pocket conjointly therewith, as desired, and locking means for said closing means, in either of the aforesaid closed positions.

5. In a locking device substantially for;

the purpose described, a shackle, comprising a base member having a pair of open-faced pockets, each pocket being independently in line with and adapted to receive its complementary lever to be locked, shackling means operable over the open faces of said pockets and adapted to close the open face of one pocket independently of the other and also to" close the open face of the other said pocket conjointly therewith-as desired, and cooperating means, including a single lock,

' for-positively locking said shackling means in either of the aforesaid positions.

6. In a locking device substantially for the I purpose described, a shackle, adapted to be secured in proximate relation with the levers to be locked, and having a pair of openfaced pockets, each pocket being independently in line with and adapted to receive its complementary lever, shackling'means pivotally associated with said base member to encompass said levers in such relation as to hold one of said levers against movement independently of the other said lever or conjointly therewith as desired, and means for positively locking said shackling means in either of the aforesaid relations,

7 In a locking device substantially for the purpose described, comprising a. base member adapted to be suitably secured proximately to the levers to be locked, means '00- operating with said base member for shackling one lever both independently of and conjointly with the other lever, said cooperatingmeans consisting of a jointed shackling element, and means for positively locking said jointed shacklingelement in either of the aforesaid relations desired, including locking elements for said shackling means, and a key controlled lock for said locking elements.

8. In locking device substantially for the purpose described, a base member adapt-1 ed to be suitably secured proximately to the.

levers to be locked and extend transversely across the same, a jointed shackling ele ment cooperating with said base member, to

encompass said levers in such relation as to hold one of said levers against movement independently of the other said lever or conjointly therewith as desired, and means for positively locking said shackling element in either of the aforesaid relations.

9. Ina locking device substantially for the purpose described, a base member adapted to be suitably secured proximately to the levers to be locked andextend transversely across the same, a two-part articulated shackling member, pivoted at one end to Said base member and co jperating therewith to encompass said levers in locking relation,. lock-ing elements between said base member and shackling member, substantially intermediate of said articulate and pivotal connections, to permit of the locking of one lever independently of the other, locking elements between said base member and the free end of said shackling member, to permit of the locking of both levers conjointly, and a lock for said locking elements.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B UEHNE;

Witnesses GRACE HUs'roN. A. EBERT OBRIEN. 

